Confit duck leg/ watercress and herb salad / roasted rhubarb/ fig balsam viniagrette

This light little recipe is ideal for late spring and summer, and provides both sweet and tart flavours with a herb overtone to create a variety of flavours. It serves well as a light lunch or dinner, and can be easily adapted to serve as a starter also. Once the duck legs are done, this takes no more than 10 minutes to compile. Less time doing and more time devouring.

You will need (per serving):

1 confit duck leg
1 handful watercress
100g rhubarb, trimmed, peeled and chopped into 1 cm pieces.
tsp fig balsam vinegar (ordinary balsamic vinegar will do)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
a few sprigs of parsley, (chopped)
6-8 chives, retain 3 for decoration, chop the rest.
tsp butter

The doing bit:

Heat up a large frying pan (preferrably with a lid). Place the duck leg skin side down until almost crisp, add the butter and turn over the leg. Add the rhubarb and put the lid on the pan and lower to a gentle / medium heat for about 8 minutes)

In a large bowl combine watercress, and herbs. Mix the oil nd vinegar seperately and dress the leaves.

Place salad on plate, remove the duck and rhubarb from the pan. The rhubarb should have just begin to soften, if not leave in for a few minutes longer and allow the duck to rest on plate on top of the salad. Place the rhubarb around the salad and drizzle with any pan juices and remaining vinaigrette.

Garnish with chives, and devour.

Confit duck legs / orange braised fennel / plum sauce

image courtesy of arm8.staticflickr.com

*Part of the sizzling staffordshire menu series*

This wonderful fragrant dish provides an uplifting tone and clean flavours for the palate to enjoy. t combines the tartness and sweetness of both the plums and the fennel, whilst providing a hearty middle ground with the confit duck legs. Its ideal as a main course or as a light lunch, depending on your serving size.

You will need (per serving):

2 confit duck legs
1 serving orange braised fennel
1 serving plum sauce

I would also recommend you serve with a potato dish such as pommes boulangeres to complete the main course for full satisfaction.

The doing bit:

Reheat the confit duck legs by searing in a pan, Add the fennel to the pan, cover loosely with foil and place in hot oven (roughly 200C) for about 10 mins until heated through.

In a seperate saucepan heat up the plum sauce.

Assembly, arrange fennel in crisscross pattern overlapping, serve each confit duck leg alternating gaps. glaze with sauce and decorate around with remaining sauce. Serve any potato or accompanying dishes seperately in a "help yourself" fashion..

Devour.